Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, has stirred political conversations once again with his bold revelation that three additional governors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are preparing to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a move he believes will further deepen the internal crisis currently rocking the opposition party.
Fayose made the statement during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Wednesday, October 15, while reacting to the recent defection of Bayelsa State Governor, Douye Diri, to the APC — an event that sent shockwaves through the PDP hierarchy and triggered renewed debates about the party’s stability and future direction.
According to the outspoken former governor, what is unfolding within the PDP is only the beginning of a larger exodus that could drastically weaken the opposition structure ahead of the 2027 general elections. He claimed that, based on his knowledge of political happenings within the party, only five governors may remain loyal to the PDP in the coming months.
“Let me tell you, there are three more governors that will leave soon,” Fayose declared confidently. “There will be five remaining, and among those five, one will still struggle to get the party ticket. They all know that the ticket itself is nothing but an ordinary tissue paper.”
He went further to criticize some PDP governors and national leaders for allegedly contributing to the party’s downfall by pursuing selfish political interests and prioritizing personal control over collective progress. Fayose argued that internal greed, infighting, and disunity have been the major reasons behind the PDP’s decline since losing power at the federal level in 2015.
“They are the ones killing the party because they want to control it completely,” Fayose said pointedly. “That’s exactly what played out in 2023. Rather than unite for a common goal, they tore the house apart for personal gain.”
The former governor also addressed widespread claims that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the APC leadership have been enticing opposition governors to defect. Fayose dismissed those accusations, stating that the defections are primarily motivated by political survival and ambition, not external pressure.
“President Tinubu should not be blamed for PDP’s problems,” he insisted. “The PDP is sick — and it remains perpetually sick without a cure in view. Those who caused this sickness know themselves very well.”
He described the PDP’s current state as a result of long-standing internal betrayal and sabotage by individuals who place personal power above the party’s ideology. “Those who killed the party know themselves,” he said. “There’s a clear difference between a former governor and a sitting governor. Some of them think they are untouchable, but power is transient.”
Despite his criticisms, Fayose maintained that he is still a bona fide member of the PDP but emphasized that he is not directly involved in the party’s restructuring efforts. He expressed his disinterest in any reconciliation process, asserting that the party leadership must take full responsibility for the crisis it has created.
“I’m still in the PDP, but I’ve decided to step back and watch,” he explained. “Those who brought the party to this state should be the ones to fix it. You can’t destroy something and then expect others to clean up your mess.”
Fayose’s revelation has intensified speculations about which governors might be next to cross over to the APC. His comments also come amid growing public concern about the PDP’s shrinking influence, following recent defections by governors from Enugu, Delta, Akwa Ibom, and Bayelsa States — all of whom cited internal crisis, lack of direction, and leadership failure as reasons for their decisions.
As the political landscape continues to shift, analysts suggest that Fayose’s statement may be both a warning and a wake-up call for the PDP to address its internal rifts before it loses its position as Nigeria’s main opposition party. Whether the prediction of three more defections will come to pass remains to be seen, but for now, one thing is clear — the storm within the PDP is far from over.